Surprise device



Nov. 8, 1927. 1,648,800

G. E. DITZLER SURPRISE DEVI CE Patented Nov. 8, 1927..

1,648,800 warren srAT-Es vm'rs 'r errics.

GUY E. DITZLER, on HINsDALE, "I'LLHIO'IS, nssienon on ons- HIRD T JOSEPH T. COCHRAN AND ONE-THIRD TO sense: M. BOTH or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.-

SURPRISE DEVICE.

.Applicationgfiled December 27, 1926. Serial no. 157,137.

These improvements relate to small devices which will ordinarily bemade of cardboard material and in a orm suitable for mailing, and whichyon being-removed from o the envelope, will develop action producing surprise to theiperson receiving it through the unexpectedncss of such orany-action.

In some'aspects otthe invention it relates to toys; but it has been designed chieflyas a medium for advertising,:and relateszalso to that art.

Its object as a toyis to .provide amuse- 'ment, while fromthe'standpoint o'i'an :ad-

vertising device its chief object is to provide a cheap, simple, lightweight; device "which may'have substantially large surfaces for atlvertis'in'g purp oses and which will raccent'u'ate the impression of the advertising through the surprise feature of the device, and also maintain the advertising matter long'betorethe recipient through the toy features by creating continued interest and inducing a preservation of the article.

In the drawingsFigure 1- is a perspective 3 of thefdevice in folded condition and'as held within an ordinary envelopewhich is-shown .by-dotted lines ;-Fig. Q'is an edge view showing relative positions of partsautomatically assumed when the device is normally with.-

drawn from the envelope; Fig. 3' isa. frag- .mentary end view showing details at the "loi'verright-hand corner of QyFigJl is a fragmentary top plan with the swinging member laid down flat against the base; and

'sidered' to be also of cardboard material. l Vhen 'ofseveral parts they" are hinged to gether as at 12.

The lower part marked 11 is hinged "to the'base'at '18 and the length of the respec- Fig. 5 1s a sectional v ew on the line 55=ot as 11- and 11 andthese parts may be con tive parts and their arrangementare such that the part as .11? next to the part 11 lmay .told upon the part-11" throughthe hingeat .12, and the two parts may then be folded as a unit upon the hinge 13 so as to lie flat upon thebase as shown in Fig. l.

lheswinging member 11 is preferably somewhat narrower than the base sothat when the envelope is cut along a sideiedge and thedevice wit-hinis grasped betweena linger and thumb the swinging, member will escape being held and will remain free for actlon.

The hinge constructionat l2is developed -in myi practice by forming the parts ll and 1 1 .as one piece and then scoring it at the line 12' of -so that it willbend. readily. The lower hinge, at 13,;isformed by scoring thesame piece on the line 13 of Fig. i.

The swinging member is permanently .held' ipon the base by securing the short ex tension 11 thereof-to thebase asfby glue.

The part 11 is first formed, however, with a stop member 14, which isa tab cut free frointhe rest otthe material on thelines 15 and 16 of Fig.4, while on the line. 17 the tab M remains attachedto, the part 11, the linel? indicating scoring whereby the tab .14 may swing on this scor-ed.;lineas upon a whin'ge. This tab 1 14: constitutes. a stop I for the swinging part. 11 asshown, in Fig.2,

and; in :order that the swinging member may pi'eierably lean back somewhat. beyond the vertical, for: better viewing et fects as shown .in Fig. 2, the line at lti, Fig.4, is at an angle to the line 17 other than a right angle, namely, an acuteangle.

'lVhen :the device isreceived through. the mail it is in folded condition as shownby zFig. 1. When it is withdrawn from the confinement of theenvelope the swinging mem- -ber. parts automatically assume their relathepart 11 at azsubstantial.distance from the hinge 13 and a similar ear or lug in the base 10, and I then hook over these anchoring projections an ordinary rubber band 22 in endless or ring form, the rubber band being under tension when so positioned. The rubber bandpasses around the end of the section 11 spaced from the hinge 13, and a pull upon the part 11 is thereby developed tending to draw it upward into its, final position shown by Fig. 2.

When the member 11 is depressed so as to lie substantially parallel with the base the stop 14L may also be pressed down substantially flat as in Fig. 1, in which position, as shown by Fig. 4, the rubber band 22 is under the tab. lVhen the parts are released for action'the parts of the rubber band adjacent to the tab rise more and more away from the base and the tab is swung QllltWtLlCl and automatically put in position to act as a stop, as shown in Fig. 2, limiting the movement of the part 11 under the spring action of the rubber band.

Turning now to the spring means between the parts 11 and 11 1 form tabs or catches 24 and 25 on these parts respectively and hook over them a taut rubber band 26; In order that a leverage action may be developed to swing the part 11 I provide, as a preferred construction, a small piece of firm and strong cardboard material 27 secured to the part 11 as by glue or by means of a staple 28. This piece 27 extends at 27 beyond the line 12 to constitute a lever, and also a stop.

Fig. 1 shows how the rubber band 26 passes around this lever extension 27* when the part 11 is folded under the part 11 In that position the tendency of the spring band 26 is to swing the part 11 on the hinge line 12. When the device is taken out of the envelope and the parts are thus freed for action, such movement automatically occurs, and, when the part 11* is in the plane of the part 11", as shown by Fig. 2, this extension 27 constitutes a stop limiting the further swinging movement of the part 11 on the part 11".

The base 10 has a substantially large area which may contain considerable advertising matter. The swinging member 11 may also contain advertising matter, or it may serve as a carrier and support for some other object, for example a figure cut out from other material and secured upon these members 11 and 11. Thus in Fig. 3 the dotted lines 27 may be taken to indicate a portion of a cut-out representing a woman, and which figure would suddenly and unexpectedly rise from a flat card held in the hand and smile into the face of the recipient of the device.

The structure illustrated is not only highly surprising to the original recipient, and in a very pleasant and agreeable way, but its amusement features are such as to cause it to be used as a surprise device for the recipients friends who are in turn given the envelope for a like experience. The device is thus handled a great deal, played with, and preservedall to the effect that its advantages as an advertising medium are greatly enhanced.

Important features of the device are its simplicity and very low cost.

I contemplate as being included herein all such changes, variations and departures from what is thus specifically illustrated and described as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a surprise device of the character described, the combination of a flat and elongated base member of sheet material, an elongatedswinging member of sheet material mounted at one of its ends on the base member to lie substantially upon and parallel with the base member and to swing upward and assume a normally upright position thereon, said swinging member being narrower than the base member, with a stop carried by one of said members and arranged to contact the other thereof when the swinging member has assumeda normally upright portion on the base approximately ninety degrees from the base, and a tension spring connected to each of said members and arranged to draw'the swinging member upward by a direct pull upon it when released from its position substantially parallel with the base. y

'2. In a surprise device of the character described, the combination of a base, an

elongated swinging member comprising a plurality of parts o1nted together so as to fold one upon another and in such folded condition to lie substantially upon the base,

the swinging member being mounted at one of its ends hingedly upon the base to swing normally upward thereon, spring means associated with the several parts and with the base respectively for automatically causing the several parts to unfold and the member as a whole to swing iipward from the base when released from such folded condition and with the partsllying substantially upon the base, together with stop means associated with the respective parts for limiting their unfolding and upwardly swinging movements. 7

3. In a surprise device of the character described, the combination of an elongated member of cardboard material or the like, an elongated swinging member of sheet material and comprising a plurality of parts jointed together so as to fold one upon another and in such folded condition to lie upon and substantially parallel with the base, the swinging member being mounted at one of its ends hingedly upon the base to swing normally upward thereon, rubber band tensioning means associated with the several parts and with the base respectively arranged to pull directly upon them for antomatically causing the several parts to unfold and the member as a whole to swing upward from the base when released from the folded condition and from said posit-ion of the parts substantially parallel with the base, together with stop means for limiting the unfolding and the upward swinging movements respectively when the swinging member has moved through approximately ninety degrees.

4. In a surprise device of the character described, the combination of a base of sheet material adapted to be encompassed by an envelope, an elongated swinging member of sheet material narrower than the base and mounted at one of its ends upon the base to lie substantially parallel therewith and to swing normally upward therefrom, said swinging member comprising a plurality of sections hingedly connected together end to end and adapted to fold one upon another, and rubber band spring means associated with the several sections and with the base respectively for automatically causing the sections to unfold and the swinging member as a whole to swing upward from the base when released from folded condition and from the position in which the parts lie sub stantially parallel with the base, with stop means adjacent to each hinge connection for limiting the unfolding and upwardly swinging movements respectively.

5. In a surprise device of the character de scribed, the combination of a base, an elongated swinging member mounted at one of its ends hingedly upon the base to lie substantially parallel therewith and to swing normally upward thereon, a rubber tensioning spring held upon the base and upon said swinging member and arranged to draw the swinging member upward by a direct pull upon it when released from its position substantially parallel with the base, and a stop in the path of swinging mo-vementofthe swinging member for limiting its upward movement to substantially ninety degrees from the base.

6. In a device of the character described having a base and a swinging member hinged upon the base, the combination therewith of an elastic tension member secured to the base and to the swinging member at places respectively spaced from the hinge connection between them and arranged to draw the swinging member away from the base by a direct pull upon it, and a stop movable into the path of swinging .moven'ient by the movement of the elastic member for limiting the movement of the swingingmember under the drawing strains of the elastic member to substantially ninety degrees. y

7. In a device of the character described comprising a bate and a swingingmember having two parts mounted. on the base for swinging movements, the combination there with of means for automatically providing I a swinging movement of one of said parts relative to the other thereof comprising a hinge-like connection between the two parts, one of said parts having an extension beyond the hinge-like connection, and taut elastic means secured to the one of said parts having the extension and passing over said extension.

GUY E. DITZLER. 

